Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Hi all! Hope your gearing up for Turkey is going well, we here at MIBFHQ have been busting our bottoms dealing with all the orders we got thanks to the LA Times article and trying to get ready for this weekend's Bazaar Bizarre. Look at all these boxes!And this is the 2nd stack like this!

Okay, I have to go play catch-up now for BazBiz so I'd better get sewing! If you're in the Bay Area, I hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Hey all! Just wanted to share the felt club fun with you all! I did a whole post about some of the other vendors I loved over at CraftStylish but didn't really get to talk much about my day. A day that almost wasn't!

I woke up Saturday to find out about the fires down in Southern California, one of which had closed, I-5, my way to the show. I spent that day frantically getting ready and checking the internet, thankfully things opened up around 10pm (but I did plan an alternative route that took me around the fires but that would have taken me twice as long to reach my destination, just in case!).

Then I started packing the car. . . Tom and I had spent days working on a new display that looked like a tabletop felt fireplace! I drew out the plan and measured my car before we started making it, but as I was loading the car I learned something. . . I'd measured the inside of my two door car but forgot to measure the door opening! The only way I could get it in was with both of the front seats folded down (very hard for driving). I tried and tried but couldn't get it to work. Freaking out, I called my dad for his truck but, no luck, he was out of town. Then it hit me! Bungie cords! I called my mom, she came to my rescue (a perk of now living close to home), and the display was bungied into place. Success!

I woke up early (just in case I had to take the alt route) but Sunday was the day that things were gonna go my way! I got to the show fine. . . met with Sarah. . . set up shop. . .And was ready to get selling!

The show went really great. I met a ton of lovely people and was lucky enough to be interviewed and photographed by the LA Times!(Wish I didn't look so lumpy and tired but then again, I am a bit lumpy these days and I was very, very tired. I just wish I was photogenic. . . oh, well. . .)

I also had great sales, a big surprise with things the way they are. . . all in all, I had a very happy day!

Oh! I also got to meet DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba! I love this show so much more than a person without children should, but it just makes me so happy when I watch it. Everything is so possible in the show which is a comfort for me these days. . . anyway. . . Yea DJ Lance!And he bought the robot!

So yeah, overall, I'd say it was a very good day and a very good show!

Okay, better run, gotta get back to work for Bazaar Bizarre on the 30th!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Those in the Gocco know have known this since the summer but I'm a bit of a shut-in and somehow missed the oh so saddening news. Gocco's no more. . . For reals this time.

BOO!

Back in '05 I started collecting bulbs and screens when I heard Riso might not make them anymore. I cleaned up when Dick Blick was clearing out their supplies. I thought that that was that, but then I started to hear rumblings that supplies were still being made. I didn't believe them at first, but my friend Sarah assured me that, as far as she knew, I was wrong, everything was being made again! Yippy!

Buoyed by the possibility of future Goccoing, I started using bulbs and screens with abandon. Heck! I used 8 bulbs yesterday! Turns out I had one bumb bulb in the box and it took 4 attempts, and 2 screens to figure out the problem (I'm slow sometimes). And then today, while researching for a Craft Stylish post, I found out the painful truth. Riso, makers of Gocco, let retailers know this past July that they would no longer be making any supplies and that the end of this year is the end of Gocco. SADNESS! Stockpiles of supplies and machines are still out there but the prices have gone sky high. I just spent $45 for 2 boxes of bulbs. Last time I bought bulbs they were $12/box. Now, there are other places that have them for $14 but they require you to buy screens at the same time since bulbs are the real shortage item. I have screens! I need bulbs!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Hi all! Still super busy but wanted to let you know that I was recently interviewed over at Debbie Gootter's blog Etsy Featured Artists. It was great fun to answer all her questions and I feel really honored to be included with the other awesome artists she's profiled since starting her amazing blog. Thanks Debbie for thinking of me and indulging me in my meandering style of question answering. You're the best!

Check it out, y'all! Not just for my AMAZING interview but for all the other artists too. Plus there's pictures! Who doesn't love pictures?

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

So, really can't talk for long. I'm so royally behind in all I need to get done that it's scary. All my friends are saying, "sure, we've heard that before" but I swear, this is sooooo much worse. I have a show in less than 3 weeks and I'm not even close to ready and what's worse is that, other than to worry, I can't even seem to motivate myself to care. I have no new ideas. No worthwhile creative thoughts. I'm at a complete loss. And now I'm stuck, deer in the headlights style, with a deadline and little product. I'll admit it. . . I'm scared. Scared of the more and more likely failure that will be my show season and scared of what's to come. I have no marketable skills. . . this crafting thing really is it (apart from the even less lucrative music and acting) and I'm just feeling spent. Maybe it will pass. . . I hope it will pass. . . it has to, at least until the end of the year. After that, who knows?

Sunday, October 19, 2008

We have houseguests! Two adorable dogs from a local no-kill shelter, Pet Matchmaker, have made themselves at home in my new place. We agreed to foster them so that they can get used to living in a home and being around people and I think it's working. . . big time!

Here they are, Sam and Grace aren't they cute?This one is Sam:And this is Grace:She's a little camera shy. . . this is the best shot of her, usually she's running away.

Well, back to the grind! I'm a little behind for holiday season and it's FAST approaching!!!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sorry it's been forever since I've posted a proper post to this blog. With the move and the new job over at Craft Stylish I'm afraid that I've let the boyfriend blog slip to the back of my mind. Well. . . NO MORE! Here I am! And I'm ready to post my brains out!

Things have been crazy busy here. As you can see by the title, the logs have taken over. . .All I do these days is make logs. And I'm kinda growing to hate them a bit. I know. . . I know. . . they're cute, and as an objective outside observer I love them to bits and pieces but I'm just so sick and tired of making them! I feel like a rockstar who's not allowed to play any song other than her hit. I am Skynard. . . the logs are my Freebird.

I know I should just shut the hell up. The logs are making me money, paying my bills. If you look at the sold items in my Etsy shop you'll see it's almost all logs all the time! And that doesn't even include all the shop orders and inquiries. It's great to have such a popular item and, if I was having them made and not making them all myself, I'd be dancing round town. But I can't figure out how to mass produce them and keep the quality up. And even if I could I can't AFFORD to have them made! I've tried to figure out if I could replace the hand stitching with machine work, but I'm afraid they'll end up looking just kinda blah and boring. What do you think? Does the hand stitching make the log pillow?

Ultimately the most soul crushing aspect of my current situation is that I've not had the chance to actually design anything new in ages. I've turned into a one woman factory instead of an artist. I got into this gig to design and create not to make more logs than the fellas on Axe Men.

AND whenever I DO design something new it goes right on over to CraftStylish. . . and STILL some of those ideas are log inspired. . .I've got logs on the brain!!!

I'm just so scared that this is all I have. . . that I'm becoming a one trick pony. . . that I'm becoming (have already become?) the Log Lady. . . sigh. . .

Well, I'd better go. . . I have more logs to sew. . .On the plus side, my Mom has started to help with the sewing which will, hopefully help a lot!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Hi All!There's a great contest going on over at Craft Stylish right now all about your friend the flower! Here's one of my favorites:Full disclosure. . . it's by my friend Becca but it's okay because I don't vote for the winning flower, so I can be biased.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Man, oh man, have I been busy! This Craft Stylish thing is great but there's so much to do and then the shop and commissions and Christmas shows. . . my head, it spins. . . and then I got a sudden mysterious rush in the shop.

Didn't know what was going on, wondered if it had to do with my new Craft Stylish job, but then had a think on that and decided against it. Figured it was just coincidence but then Sarah hipped me to the sidebar on Decor8. . . there I was! Well the birch logs. . . but still. . .Then I looked at the posts and there was a mention of a post on Real Simple's blog about favorite Etsy shops, and there I was again! Well. . . the logs again. . . but YEA! Right?

Thursday, August 28, 2008

I started working on these portraits back in February and now I've finally finished them! Yea! Since I've been notified that they have arrived safely in their new home in Austin I thought I'd share them with you.

The Green Family:From top to bottom, right to left: Jessica, Max, Zach, Deborah, and Clayton.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

I'm frantically stitching, getting ready for that secret project that I'll be able to tell you about in a week's time but I wanted to share some of the pics from my new place. I'm sooooo happy to once again have a place that's all my own. I have a lovely housemate who gave me free reign to decorate as I saw fit and, it seems, we're both super happy with the outcome. So here we go, some of then new house. Couldn't get a great shot of the kitchen and stayed out of my housemate's room but you get the idea.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Yea! More will be up soon. I still have to get my robot on and get those bad boys into the shop. So much to do! Between the shop, the home, and a still secret project I'm crazy busy but it is in the best way possible.

Guess that's all for now! Oh! One more thing, some of my older items in the shop are now on sale for 50%! I'm practically giving them away! Crazy Erika's cutting prices!

Hi all!Just a brief post to let you know I'm still alive and well and living in Bakersfield. The craft room is set I've gone decorator crazy and pictures will be going up here soon. I also have some really big news coming up for the fall. Let's just say that you'll be able to read me here and. . . elsewhere. . . oooohhhhh mysterious!

Also, the shop will be updated next week with ROBOTS & BIRCH LOGS! Yea! There will also be other goodies, more pincushions, cute bags, and just general awesomeness. It should all be there by Thursday! So put August 14th on your calender as MIBF Day!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Man was this show great! And just what I needed to get my spark back. A lot of sales, a ton of great people, a marching band, and best of all no rain! Yippy!

Some of the highlights. . . I sold all my robots and a ton of logs.

I met one of my favorite bloggers, Evany Thomas, who I've felt a kinship with ever since I first happened on her fun, quirky, wonderful blog. She bought a log and we had our picture taken together. I must admit I geeked out a bit, well a lot, but she was so sweet and invited me to ice cream the next time I'm in the city.

I also met the wonderful Annie and Eric (and bought some pretty, pretty art from them for my new place). We clicked instantly and Eric and I are gonna collaborate on some robot-y goodness very soon (so exciting!). I know they will soon be MIBF besties! I can just feel it.

Then today I found out that another lovely lady blogged some of my items on her blog This Humble Abode. Thanks Jenny! It was swell meeting you!

And we got ANOTHER mention on Apartment Therapy! Wow! I feel so very lucky! I promise to get to making those birch logs and robots fast as can be.

Wow! That's a lot of love for the Boyfriend! Our cheeks are all aglow with pride!

I forgot to tell you, though I did kinda mention it above, I'm moving! Not out of Bakersfield, just out of the family home and in with a friend who's recently moved back to town. It will be nice to be able to do my sewing in a room in which I don't sleep. I'm moving in drips and drabs this week then moving the big stuff over the weekend and I should be all settled by Monday ready to start churning out logs and robots and other sorts of goodness.

Man that's a lot of stuff! Better run and get back to last minute sewing and packing. Talk laters!

Monday, June 30, 2008

Yippy! What a nice thing to come home to after a show where I sold very little. Where the only excitement came from me stabbing myself in the leg frighteningly near my lady parts! No skin was broken but man oh man, do I have a troublesome bruise. . . ouch.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I soooo live in my little bubble that I'm always amazed to find out that anyone other than Cindy, Joi, and my mom ever read this little ol' blog. But apparently they do! And I've been tagged one of them, the lovely Taz of Cut It and Pin It. Since I mustn't let down my non-related readership I am more than happy to answer these probing questions. . .

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?Well. . . I had just graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a BFA in musical theater having already decided to take a break from acting having had a major breakdown earlier in the year. To fill the time between classes in tap dancing and crying, I worked at Tower Records (RIP) at the corner of Newbury and Mass. Ave. I knew a lot about soundtracks and pop music and had a grand time acting the know-it-all and making no money. All of my best stories come from my time at that store. . . memories. . . Oh! I also went to a metric ton of concerts that year (yet another way to avoid school) and was WAY into swing dancing and music. I went the whole 9 with that, it was a great excuse to wear my many vintage cocktail dresses (most of which I still have! though they are very tight if they fit at all, boo.)

2. Is missing!

3. What snacks do you enjoy?What I enjoy and what I can have these days seem to be two different things. . . I love cheese and chocolate but I'm trying to be a good girl and eating a lot of fresh fruit, homemade soy and fruit smoothies, granola bars, and fresh juices (if it all works maybe I'll fit into those dresses soon!)

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?I'd be very generous! I'd give a million right away to the best public radio station in the whole wide world, KEXP. I'd do right by all my family and friends, buy a few houses, travel like mad, go crazy at Marc Jacobs, invest, and open a shop someplace wonderful. . . San Francisco? London? New York?

5. Where have you lived?In order:Bakersfield, CABoston, MASan Francisco, CABack to BakersfieldNew York, NY (mostly in Brooklyn but briefly in Manhattan)Back once more and for now in Bakersfield (sigh)

6. What jobs have you had?Man. . . this question along with the 10 years ago question sure make this a depressing tag for li'l ol' Erika. . . Anyway. . . In order:Clerk and know-it-all - Tower Records (Boston and San Francisco)Substitute High School TeacherBookseller - Barnes & NoblePersonal AssistantTempAdmin AssistantSales Associate - Charles TyrwhittTemping once moreVERY Small Business Owner - my imaginary boyfriend!!!

7. Who would I like to know more about?Oooh. . . this is where I figure out who to tag. . . I'll have to think on that and get back to this one! Hum. . . thinking. . .

Sorry I've been remiss in posting of late. Been a combo of busy getting ready for Renegade and utterly uninspired. . . will talk more of the former when I get back from New York, but for now Renegade!

I'll be sharing a booth with the always lovely Sarah of Gavin&Lily. We have a wonderful location smack in the middle of the pool (That would be the pool made famous by Tyra and Co. in the latest "cycle" of America's Next Top Model! Aw yeah! What? You missed it?). If you are in the Brooklyn area this weekend, come by and say, "Hi!" I'd love to meet you!

Friday, May 9, 2008

I bought a bike! OH! And I got a haircut!And I've been riding it!Woohoo!Though I must admit that riding it in my current physical shape puts a medley of Queen's Bicycle Races and Fat Bottomed Girls in my head. Hopefully that won't be the case for too long!

Second. . . Screenprint birch logs! Check 'em out!

Third! The most wonderfully wacky, strange thing I've ever found in a thrift store. Found at one of the many lovely Goodwill stores in my town.It's just a ceramic unicorn head. . . what's so strange about that?Well. . . how about thisTHERE'S A SCARY SANTA ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!What's more. . . he's not just painted on there, he's part of the mold! And then the artist who painted Santa added a whole level of creepy to the odd. Here's a close up. . .He looks like he's been on a 2 week meth binge! And what's with that pink thing on the bottom, which isn't made better by the fact that he's apparently squatting. . . poor Santa. . .OH!There were 4 of them. . . I love thrifting!

Finally. . . Robots!and Doctor Who monsters!If you want to learn how to make them, check out my Crafty TARDIS post!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

It's been chaos here!Why, what ever can be going on Erika? Well. . .As I said before I've been frantically getting ready for Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire which is this weekend! Yikes! and Yea! all at once.

I'm looking forward to the show and hope it goes well. Things here in MIBF HQ have been rocky of late. . . rejections, failed projects, and a general confusion have been the norm here, I'm afraid. Hopefully all will rock and things will once again be shiny.

AND! Maker Faire is full of clever, cute, geeky boys, something sorely lacking in my life these days. If you know any of these boys, and they're single, point them in the direction of the Bizarre, booth 52!

Well, that's all for now. . . best to sleep before I head up North tomorrow morning (going up early to hang with my BFF baby Griffin and to FINALLY get my hair cut!).

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Apparently, if you blog nearly every day for over a month and then regress to lackadaisical blogging ways your friends will yell at you. It's funny. . . I forget that anyone reads this thing sometimes and then I hear, from several fronts that my blog is lonely. I'm sorry blog!

I have a ton to post about but I've been super busy getting ready for Bazaar Bizarre at the Maker Faire . It promises to be an amazing show! If you're in the area you should really try to go. Tickets are a bit pricey at $20 a day but it's for the whole of the Maker Faire not just the shopping area and the Maker Faire is so very super cool.

Anyway. . . That's all for now. Just letting you know I'm here. . . I have a lot of sewing to do but I promise you that I will post in the coming days! Here's a taste of posts to come:

- I bought a bike!- Screen print BIRCH logs!- Weirdest thing I've ever found at a thrift store! (and that includes the matching Hawaiian shirt and dress combo Heidi and I found at the best thrift store in the world, American Way Thrift at Chester and 19th [RIP] circa 1995)- Erika's adventures in patchwork robots and machine applique- The cutest Doctor Who monster ever! With how to and pattern!!!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Well not yet. . . but I'm on my way thanks to the lovely Hannah of Made with Love by Hannah. We had an amazingly fun and informative day yesterday, she taught me so much!

I met Hannah at the also lovely Jenny Ryan's crafty ladies party a couple of months back and we had talked in passing about screenprinting all the things that I've been handpainting in my product line. She was shocked that I painted all those logs and woodgrain. . . she's not the only one. What can I say, I'm a bit looney. . . Anyway. . . she screenprints a lot of her fabrics and she offered th hook me up with some of her old tools she no longer uses. So nice! Then we started talking and she offered to show me what to do.

I learned sooooo much yesterday AND I printed 22 logs in the time it would have taken to paint 2. AWESOME! And she gave me so much, not only info and tips (such super tips!), but supplies to help me get started. It was like Christmas but more fun and with more adorable knick-knacks and yummy sandwiches. Definitely one of my top craft days ever!

Mom has offered me the workbench in the garage as my printing area and I can't wait to get started! Robots and woodgrain are dancing around in my head! Yippy!

Friday, March 14, 2008

First, Tuesday:It's a log deconstructed, on paper. Why you ask. . . well, the logs are going into mass production! Well. . . sort of. . . The lovely Hannah from Made with Love by Hannah is gonna teach me to screenprint! This is the pattern I sent her and she's gonna burn the screens. So exciting!

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I went pillow CRAZY! I went thrifting on Monday in preparation for something I'm really excited about but that I can't yet discuss (ooohhh mystery!) and found a ton of great fabric. One of the fabrics was this fab floral barkcloth ($4 for 2 yards!) and I made 2 fun bunny pillows out of it. Then today I made a pillow that has been sitting in my head for a while and it turned out just how I imagined, which is always nice. Here they are, pillows a plenty!

Most of these beauties will end up in my Etsy shop. Tomorrow I take pictures and then I start listing away!

Thanks so much for following me on this crazy little journey with me. I may just do it again in the near future. It was super hard but it did get me working and sometimes that push is the one thing you really need to create some lovely, lovely crafty goodness.

Click the above link and you can see the wonders achieved by Martha's crew. . . here's my flower:Not bad. . . not bad at all!I do wish the colors on the packaging matched the colors available in the kit, but still I'm happy with the end product. Here's a shot of my flower with Ms. Martha's:I think I did her proud!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Is there any love greater than the love between a robot and his bride? I think not!

I made her yesterday. . . him today. . .

Aren't they lovely! I do wish I'd gone with my first impulse and made them shorter. . . there's always next time! I'm gonna put them on a cake friendly base and offer them up in the shop as a cake topper. Now all I have to do is figure out what that base should be. . . hum. . . any suggestions?

Saturday, March 8, 2008

In hindsight, Thursday's craftastrophic events were all my fault, a perfect storm of late night sewing, stupidity, forgetfulness, and cockiness. I was dead set on finishing my little quilt and I was going to do it properly, not in my, as Cindy has dubbed it, punk rock quilting way so I picked up my Quilting: the Complete Guide and went to work!

All started out well. . .I decided to take it easy and do a simple diagonal design so, using 1/4" tape, I marke the lines that were to be sewed. I layered the front, the batting, and the back and pinned the whole lot together at 4" interval, just like the book suggested. I wrapped the overhang of the backing to protect the edges of the front and pinned those. Things looked good! Just like in the book.

Okay. . . first big mistake. . . when everything you read tells you that to do machine quilting, you should really use a walking foot, they're not just trying to sell expensive machine attachments. You can't get away with a pair of grippy gloves and your regular machine foot, no matter how much fun the grippy gloves are and no matter how much they make you sing "Magic To Do" from Pippin while pretending to be Ben Vereen.You can almost see the cocky shooting from my be-gloved, jazz-handed fingers. . .

Second big mistake. . . if you remember hearing, several times over, that you should start your quilting at the center of the piece and that you should then work out to the edges. You should really start your quilting at the center. You shouldn't start at the edge just because it's easier. And you REALLY shouldn't then flip it to the other side once things get all bunched up in your machine, basically working from the edges in, because this is what happens:It's hard to tell, the picture's kinda dark and all the stripes from the pinstripes make it hard to see, but there is a big 2" wide pucker right in the middle of my quilt. A wrinkle I didn't catch until AFTER I'd been sewing for 6 BLEEDING HOURS! GGGGAAAAGGGHHH! 2 in the morning and the only thing I can see is failure and a ruined quilt front.

And so I start ripping. . .and ripping. . .and ripping. . .5 more hours of ripping out the quilting and then once that was finally done I realize that I cut a hole in the boarder fabric so I had to rip THAT off too! Then it was another couple hours cleaning off all the loose threads and steaming out all the little holes left from the mishap. . . by 6 pm Friday I was basically were I was at 6 pm the day before. One whole day lost. . .

And so we begin again. . . tape and pins and grippy gloves and "Magic To Do", but with a new edition! Ladies and gents meet my hero! My new walking foot!Ain't he sweet!

And this time I started at the center. . .

And by 2:30 am I had a wonderful finished quilt!

It's far from perfect. The stitch sizes are a bit wonky because I've yet to learn how to finesse the combo of walking foot and grippy gloves. Sometimes I helped too much and the stitches were huge, sometimes not enough, and the stitches were itty-bitty. And my straight lines are questionably straight, there are lines that wobble around more than a socialite at a sobriety checkpoint. . . but that's okay because I love it for its imperfections and I'm just soooooo very happy it's done!